1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a centrifugal fluidizing barrel processing apparatus which can be driven automatically.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional centrifugal fluidizing barrel polishing apparatus, although the actual polishing step is simple and finished in a short time, operations for changing barrel contents are complicated and require a long time, and it is difficult to keep the environment of the apparatus clean. To dissolve these problems, various proposals have been made as mentioned below.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No.16295/1973 discloses a following construction. One-side ends of a plurality of processing cylinders which rotate on their axes around a horizontal revolutionary shaft are connected in a manner to permit relative rotation to a fore end of a feeder cylinder which revolves integrally with the revolutionary shaft. The other end of the feeder cylinder is communicated with one end opening of the revolutionary shaft through a hollow portion in the revolutionary shaft. Workpieces and polishing materials are continuously introduced from this one end opening of the revolutionary shaft. The polished contents are discharged to the outside from the other end openings of the processing cylinders.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 78253/1990 discloses that processing cylinders are rotatably fixed to a revolving turret, and that the turret is swung on a horizontal shaft to discharge the polished contents of the processing cylinders to the outside.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 46822/1980 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 15668/1987 disclose a following construction. A turret fixed to a vertical revolutionary shaft rotatably holds a plurality of rotary shafts around the revolutionary shaft, and a stand and a lid portion are provided to each rotary shaft. A processing barrel which is filled with unpolished contents and has an upper end opening is placed on each stand, and the upper end opening of each processing barrel is sealed with each lid portion by driving a clamp apparatus which can rotate and revolve together with each rotary shaft and by sliding one of the stand and the lid portion in an axial direction. With the barrels sealed, the revolutionary shaft and each of the rotary shafts are synchronously revolved and rotated, so as to rotate and revolve the processing barrels, thereby conducting centrifugal fluidizing barrel polishing. After the barrel polishing is finished, the one of each stand and each lid portion is slided in the opposite direction to the above direction so as to allow each of the lid portion to be removed from each of the processing barrels. Then, the processing barrels after the polishing treatment are removed from the stands by a handling apparatus, and new processing barrels are loaded on the vacant stands by a handling apparatus. Then, the upper end opening of each processing barrel is sealed by sliding each lid portion again in the axial direction, and at the same time each processiing barrel is pinched in the axial direction. Then, a next polishing cycle is executed. By the way, in these publications, the rotary shafts are driven by the revolutionary shaft through chains.
However, according to the former two publications, it is not east to remove the polished contents stuck to the inside of the processing cylinders completely. On the other hand, according to the latter two publications, since the processing barrels can be removed from the apparatus and washed separately at the outside of the apparatus, it is easy to remove polished contents and introduce a predetermined amount of unpolished materials, but these apparatus still have following disadvantages.
The first problem is as follows. Since polishing liquid and polishing powder stuck to the lower surface of each of the lid portions are dropped and scattered in removing each processing barrel having an upper end opening, the surface of the apparatus below the lid portions and the floor get wet or dirty. Therefore, the working environment is worsened, and in some cases, the polishing liquid and polishing powder are stuck to the rotating and revolving parts of the apparatus, which decreases the durability of the apparatus.
Further, at the time of taking processing barrels filled with polished materials out of the apparatus, or installing processing barrels filled with unpolished materials to the apparatus, the polishing liquid and the polishing powder often leak from the apparatus and cause the same problem as above, Of course, this problem is reduced by increasing the depth of the barrels, decreasing the volume of the barrel contents or decreasing the transfer speed of the barrels. As a result, however, the productivity is decreased and the size of the apparatus is increased due to the increase in mass to be revolved and rotated.
Further, since the rotation and revolution of the processing barrels are at high speeds, clamp mechanisms which rotate and revolve with the rotary shafts must heavily press the lid portions against the barrels, in order to prevent the barrel contents from leaking to the outside because each lid portion and each lid portion are radially slided from each other by the torque and centrifugal force. Therefore, the clamp mechanisms are complicated in construction and the mass to be revolved and rotated is inevitably increased.
Further, the above conventional barrel apparatus are vertical centrifugal fluidizing barrel polishing apparatus in which the revolutionary shaft and the rotary shafts are provided vertically. In these vertical apparatus, it is difficult to increase the volume of the barrel contents by increasing the depth of the barrels, because the polishing performance is varied widely due to the gravity during the revolution and the rotation. A horizontal centrifugal fluidizing barrel polishing apparatus in which the revolutionary shaft and the rotary shafts are provided horizontally can increase barrel contents by increasing the depth of the barrels, but these horizontal apparatus cannot employ the barrels having the above construction because barrel contents are leaked in installing or removing the barrels.
The present invention has been conceived in view of the above problem. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a horizontal full automatic centrifugal fluidizing barrel processing apparatus in which work environment is improved without increasing the size of the apparatus or decreasing the productivity.
The second problem is as follows. According to the above publications, there is a need to provide each rotary shaft with a planetary moving mechanism for rotating the rotary shaft by transmitting the driving torque of the revolutionary shaft to the rotary shaft. However, since the polishing liquid, the polishing powder and the like are scattered around the apparatus, these polishing liquid and polishing powder adhere to the planetary moving mechanisms. As a result, the planetary moving mechanisms are worn away, their lifetime is decreased, and the noise is increased.
The present invention has been conceived in view of the above second problem. Therefore, it is a second object of the present invention to provide a full automatic centrifugal fluidizing barrel processing apparatus having a construction in which planetary moving mechanisms and barrel pinching mechanisms are free from stains.
The third problem is as follows. The clamp mechanisms disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 152668/1987 need that a hydraulic cylinder must be installed on the turret (i.e., the revolving disk) and that hydraulic pressure to be applied to the hydraulic cylinder must be controlled. As a result, a hydraulic pipeline system is complicated, the mass to be revolved around the revolutionary shaft is increased, and the rotating speed is decreased because of the increase in centrifugal force. Further, it is difficult to apply these clamp mechanisms to apparatus other than a vertical apparatus in which the revolutionary shaft is provided in a vertical direction.
On the other hand, the clamp mechanisms disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 46822/1980 require that more complicated mechanisms be rotated and revolved, and that each rotary shaft hang a processing barrel. Accordingly, these clamp mechanisms are applicable only to vertical apparatus in which the revolutionary shaft is provided vertically.
These vertical centrifugal fluidizing barrel polishing apparatus cannot increase the depth of processing barrels owing to the effect of gravity during the rotation and revolution polishing. Accordingly, there is a limit in increasing the capacity of barrels.
The present invention has been conceived in view of the above problem. It is a third object of the present invention to provide a full automatic centrifugal fluidizing barrel processing apparatus which has a simple construction, superior reliability and durability, and reduced mass to be revolved, and is provided with a barrel pinching mechanism applicable to a horizontal apparatus.